Anaerobic Digestion for Gas – not Fracking

We need to give installation of Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant our strong support as the counter-balance to our opposition of fracking. Both produce methane gas that can be injected to the gas grid to heat homes and businesses as well as generating electricity in quick start up power plant that can be used to balance intermittent renewables. Obviously biogas from AD is preferable.

No one seems to have calculated how much could be produced from farm integrated AD plant but perhaps it could produce the other 50%. The big one at Poundbury (info: here) produces up to 80% of West Dorset’s gas needs from just six farms growing grass and maize on a 4 year crop rotation between cereal crops.

The solid digestate looks and smells similar to horse plop and is used for the cereal crops as an alternative to inorganic fertilisers. It is slow release and an excellent soil improver. On livestock farms, part of the motivation to install AD is to process the animal waste to produce a high quality digestate to spread on the land as a replacement to the raw animal dung which can pollute nearby water courses in some weather conditions. AD plant should be seen as an integral part of efficient British agriculture making it more sustainable, more organic, more productive.

Grass grows exceptionally well in the damp UK climate and is the ideal feedstock for AD. Rather than leave cuttings on the ground. we could divert cuttings from road verges, sports fields, parks and any area where a less fertile soil is the aim (so that wild flowers compete better with the grass)to AD plant.

We should not forget that renewable gas is almost as important as renewable electricity.

Keith Wheaton-Green comments:
"Thanks John for joining the debate on these pages. You are very welcome.
I agree quantification is the best way to reach an idea of what is possible. Looking at the statistics from DECC 700 TWh is a reasonable estimate of 2014/2015 UK gas demand. However, we must take into account ongoing reduction in gas demand from electricity generation as more and more renewable electricity generation comes on line. It was a modest 1% reduction in 2013 but our present government, with its destabilising influence on renewable electricity due to wild changes in tariff levels and licensing costs and ease (or not) of gaining planning consent, is holding back installation of renewables. With proper stable backing, renewables, let of the leash, could rocket. So let’s hope for a diminished Conservative influence in the next government.
Poundbury produces 0.004 Twhy which would mean 86,000 Pounbury sized plants in the UK (or 1000 per UK county) to meet the 344 TWhy domestic gas consumption. I agree this is probably not realistic but think your estimate of 20 TWhy ceiling (or 5,000 Poundbury sized AD plant) for the UK is also not accurate.
I still maintain that with falling gas demand due to better insulated and better constructed houses following the 2016 improvement to building regulations, roll out of solar thermal and wood heat and much reduced demand to generate electricity, AD could meet a much higher proportion of UK gas demand than anyone is currently predicting. I admit I can’t quantify the potential accurately yet because AD to gas grid is at the first stage of development.
However, I believe continued use of slowly declining extraction of North Sea gas along with rapid expansion of AD gas, big improvements in energy efficiency and renewable electricity generation can see us through without the need for fracked gas. Like nuclear power, fracking carries low probability but high impact risks that are just not worth taking.
Keith Wheaton-Green
"
August 19, 2014 a 12:58 pm

John Baldwin comments:
"Biomethane is great and Poundbury has been a success, helping 20 projects that are being built this year.
But realistic max Biomethane is 20 TWh/Annum…..total gas consumption is 700 TWh so we need to import lots of gas
Qatar LNG is very high GHG and forecast to cost £10 billion/Annum in 2025….that’s a lot of money, if we can produce this gas in UK we will have £7 billion tax…..to fund renewables and insulation
"
August 16, 2014 a 3:20 pm

Reducing carbon footprint is a mutual responsibility for all of us who inhabit this planet. It is not just your local municipality, state government, a well funded non-profit or national government that can do something significant to help reduce the carbon footprint. You too can do your bit. Read on to find out how!

‘Carbon footprint’ means the amount of carbon dioxide released into the earth’s atmosphere as a result of various activities. Increasing concentrations of this gas are resulting in higher overall temperatures, melting of glaciers and various other changes in the climate that are and will adversely affect the ecology of this planet. Listed below are some meaningful ways YOU as an individual can help reduce carbon footprint:

1. Start with how you use your car

Most people cannot stop using a car altogether but you can reduce your contribution to the carbon footprint by 30% per gallon.

Green Deal Plan for Home: Here is the Start to Finish Process

It’s called the Green Deal – a project designed to help you make energy saving improvements at home and also to find the ideal way to make payments for the same. Home improvements for maximum energy conservation generally depend upon the structure of the house. However the main focus of the project should be including solid wall insulation, double glazing, boiler upgrades, and much many other things discussed below.

After many years of talking and planning about the Green Deal, the flagship energy saving scheme designed by the government is finally up and running. The aim of the project is to make every house warmer and much cheaper to run. To achieve this however, people are not required to shell large sums of money upfront.

The Green Deal project typically comprises of the following stages:

1. Assessment

Assessment involves inspection of your home or office premises by a fully accredited Green Deal Advisors. The respective advisor will perform the following functions:

Survey the entire property and come up with EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) in order to ascertain the current energy rating and also to recognize the types of developments which the Green Deal can fund.

In case the EPC recognizes any suitable measure fit for attaining Green Deal finance, the Green Deal Assessor will commence a Green Deal Occupancy Assessment and recognize what improvements are going to be cost effective and look out for any scope of cash back or subsidies.

Explain in detail the entire payment process

Prepare a Green Deal advice report that will outline all your available options

Also assist you in selecting a Green Deal Provider

Supervise the home improvement installations and sign off as soon as the work is complete.

2. Installation

The Green Deal Advisor will fix up with the Green Deal Provider and appoint a suitable Green Deal Installer for you. The installer will then make the required home improvement jobs – you and the Green Deal Advisor agreed upon. You are required to constantly access the installer to ensure he fulfills all the standards laid down by the Green Deal.

3. Repayment

You are required to pay back the cost of your various home improvement jobs over a period of time by means of electricity bills. Here your electricity supplier is supposed to pass on your payments to the respective Green Deal Provider. It is to be noted that the amount you pay via your electricity bill is not going to be more than you save upon your heating bills. This way you are guaranteed to be in profit from the very first day.

You’ll be required to pay for your home improvement services, but the payment you make will never be considered as your conventional personal loan. Reason – the payment will be attached to your electricity meter and paid back in the form of electricity bill. In case you vacate the property, the charge will be picked up by the new occupant, who will also benefit from the energy-efficient property.

A regular interest will be charged on all payments, but the rate will be fixed. In addition, you will be shown a complete schedule of all the payments before you finally sign up the plan.

Improvements covered by the Green Deal include:

Insulation

Glazing

Heating and hot power

Microgeneration

The non-domestic centers would also cover mechanical ventilation, heat recovery measures and lighting.

Incentives to Begin the Green Deal Scheme

Recently, the government launched the Green Deal Cask Back Scheme in an attempt to encourage more homeowners to take up home improvements right in the early days of Green Deal.

According to the scheme, the most eligible candidates will receive cash back guarantee as soon as they get their measures installed. The highest rates will be allotted to the earliest applicants.

The ECO (Energy Company Obligation)

The ECO for the large six energy suppliers comprises of three parts, including:

1. Affordable Warm Obligation

This will provide heating and hot water saving measures, glazing, micro generation technology and insulation to vulnerable and low-income households. There are however complex eligibility criteria for this scheme.

2. Carbon Saving Obligation

CSO is a means to provide funding in order to insulate solid-walled premises including those with tough to treat cavity walls.

3. Carbon Saving Communities Obligation

This will provide glazing and insulation measures to all people comprising of bottom 15% of the most deprived areas in UK.

Myself and everyone at Dorset Energized would like to say: Very Happy New Year!

Join the Green Energy Revolution
After all the Christmas festivities, and dare I say with the current economic climate, at this time of year we all need to tighten our belts, keep warm, oh yes, and make those new year resolutions! So here’s a simple idea for you that could snowball into a green energy revolution…

Whether you are an individual, household, business or part of a community, take 1 step TODAY to:

Like many people, money is very tight for me at the moment and I am not a homeowner myself so cannot invest in most renewable energy technologies, but I do care deeply about the Earth, and all the people and animals who live here, so I want to play my part. Every individual can make a difference. You can choose to ignore the fact that we all need to save energy and invest in renewables, or pretend your actions don’t count, or you can choose to take positive action – however small – and you never know you may even save some money, right now!

Here’s some more options for keeping warm, and saving energy and money this Winter:

Wood Energy
Why not take advantage of the new year sales to check out your local heat energy showrooms to choose a more energy efficient woodburning stove (often referred to as Biomass Boliers). Wood stoves are becoming an increasingly popular choice not just for providing a focal point to a room, allowing you to gaze into the flames, but also for providing cheap hot water for central heating and domestic hot water for the whole home. Plus don’t miss out on getting £950 back in the form of a voucher when you install a Biomass Boiler, with The Renewable Heat Premium.
For more information go to: www.letsgetenergized.co.uk/energy/wood-energy

Heat PumpsTake advantage of The Renewable Heat Premium until March 2013, with a money-back scheme to get either a £850 voucher when you install an Air Source Heat Pump, or £1,250 for a Ground Source or Water Source Heat Pump. Heat pumps extract the warmth from solar energy which is stored in the ground, water courses and in the air. The systems use electricity to drive a pump which extracts the warmth and upgrades it into useful heat. Fridges are heat pumps and work by the same principal but in reverse, moving heat from inside the fridge to outside, thus cooling the inside.
For more information go to: www.letsgetenergized.co.uk/energy/heat-pumps

Combined Heat & Power
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is a technology that can replace your standard boiler for your heating system, but also integrates the production of electricity, in one single, highly efficient process making it a low carbon technology. A domestic CHP unit can reduce yearly fuel bills by up to £600 and cut household carbon emissions by up to 40%.
For more information go to: www.letsgetenergized.co.uk/energy/combined-heat-power

Our Hopes for 2013
In 2013 we hope to develop the Dorset Energized website and inspire even more people to connect with renewable energy and reduce their energy demand. We want to recommend even more friendly and trusted local experts in renewable energy. And we want to bring you even more fantastic energy and money saving offers to help you take the next step to becoming part of the green energy revolution!

We also want this to be YOUR website – so please do send us your comments for taking positive action on energy via our blog, and we want to hear YOUR stories on your experiences with renewable energy, saving energy, and sustainable living – to help inspire others.

The award-winning Renewables Roadshow returns this September and has been designed to deliver the essential day in your year!

Whether you’re looking for information, innovation or inspiration you will find it there. So if you need to get up to speed or if you want to keep your finger on the pulse of the rapidly evolving renewables marketplace, make sure you visit the Renewables Roadshow.

The nearest venue to Dorset is Exeter, so if you can travel it should be well worth the effort!

2012 Dates & Venues:

Ricoh Arena, Coventry – 13 September

Westpoint Arena, Exeter – 18 September

International Centre, Harrogate – 20 September

SECC, Glasgow – 26 September

Event City, Manchester – 28 September

Wembley Stadium, London – 03 October

You will also have the opportunity to attend a succession of key demonstrations & presentations delivered by real industry experts FREE of charge.

Lets Get Energized with Renewable Energy!

Lets Get Energized is your online guide to renewable energy and sustainable living with the latest news, views and tips plus exclusive special offers to help you save energy and money, beat rising energy prices, combat climate change and be more self sufficient – right now, and for your future...